Talked to NCL about my concerns about the Aloha

[patandcd]

Gardencat,
I have you seen you help a lot of people on this board, myself included, and want you to know I really appreciate it. You take more time to answer than most and give accurate information. Anyway, you might be interested in the above site if you are not already aware of it. There is a section on cruises and NCL is there. Makes for very interesting reading.

[shoreguy]

[quote name='patandcd']Gardencat,
I have you seen you help a lot of people on this board, myself included, and want you to know I really appreciate it. You take more time to answer than most and give accurate information. Anyway, you might be interested in the above site if you are not already aware of it. There is a section on cruises and NCL is there. Makes for very interesting reading.[/QUOTE]

Interesting reading ? A letter about the Norway from 4 years ago :o

What was interesting:

We get more complaints about Carnival than about all other crise lines combined.

This not a perfect industry.

[emcemt]

NMnita...I will be on the Dawn for Thanksgiving. I'm more concerned abiout the company I am dealing with rather than the spefic ship though. A poorly run company will eventually filter down to every ship. I have read some good reviews on the Dawn (as well as bad)....my concern is what if I have a problem? How will NCL handle it? Now dont get me wrong.....I'm defenitely not the type of person to seach out problems...I am the exact opposite, but when I do have a problem I like to know that I am dealing with a reputible company that is going to back up it's promises. I also like to know that if I do need to call customer service I will get accurate information...and someone that is willing to help. I speak of this from both what I have read on these boards and from personal experiences. A good friend of mine is having her wedding on the Dawn in Aug. She has had nothing but nightmares dealing with NCL. They promise you the world...then when the time comes the story always changes. She is getting married in approx 5 weeks and still isn't even sure if she is going to have a room with a sound system in it (mind you she was promised the chapel when she made the original deposit about 9 months ago).
I booked the Dawn for Thanksgiving despite some of my reservations regarding NCL. My familly was looking to go away and since we are all in the NY area it was a great choice for us....no flying around holiday time...great itinerary...good price....It just seemed like a logical choice. I just hope I dont regret it and become one of the negative posters you speak of. I am though going with the best of intentions and an open mind and looking foward more to that cruise than my honeymoon on RCCI in a few weeks.

[gardencat]

emcemt

I cruised on the Dawn last year in October (coincedentally it was Canadian Thanksgiving the week we went).
I had a great time and I hope you will too. We enjoyed the different dinning choices and found we had mostly excellent food and service in the 'no-charge' restaurants so, though Le Bistro etc. looked great we did not feel we were forced to spend extra to have a very enjoyable dinning experience.
The entertainment was great IMO and I really enjoyed a couple of services I endulged in at the spa.
I have seen your name on this board a couple of times and so I'm assuming you have also seen some of my posts about nCL customer service. What can I say? The best I can hope is that your cruise goes smoothly and doesn't need to involve much input from the customer service department. If it does, get everything in writing.

I too worry that in a company where the upper management has no concern for the customer, this attittude will eventually filter down to the front line ship's crew, but the crew on the Dawn seemed pretty good last October so lets hope they can resist this influence for a while.

You still have a while before final payment right? So I guess you will just have to keep your eye on the Dawn reviews that come out between now and final payment and make your decision based on that.

Hope everything works out.

PS Congrats on your honeymoon. Will you post and let everyone know how that one goes?

[emcemt]

Gardencat....Thanx...you made me feel a lot better!!! I like other posters here I value your input on these boards....I feel you are honest about your interactions with NCL....so a good report on the Dawn from you makes me feel better!! I will be keeping my eyes on the reviews but I think this cruise is a pretty much done deal. My familly is pretty psyched and leaving from anywhere other than NY at that time of the year would be a major hassle. So I am going with an open mind. I never read the NCL boards prior to booking this cruise (probably should have (lol)). Hey the worse that happens is I dont give NCL anymore of my buisiness. Like I said..i'm a pretty easy going guy so it would take a lot to get me upset ( especially while i'm on vacation). I just hope there is good food and service....I hope I like the freestyle concept ( which i'm sure I will unless dinner takes 3 hours). By the way I have read on other threads that NCL was using little tiny langostines for lobster night. Know anything about it?
I'll be on the Adventure of the Seas 8/8 to the southern carrib. Looking foward to it!! Thanx again for your help cat!!

[gardencat]

emcemt

When I was on the Dawn we had decent sized lobster tails. Not the biggest I've ever seen but definately not what I would call 'mini'. I've heard about the tiny ones too, but can't remember on which ship they were reported. To tell the truth (and just show what a nit picker I am) I love lobster but prefer the claws to the tails so I don't get too excited about lobster night if it is just the tails. Certainly the night we had lobster the rest of the meal was good enough and filling enough that the three tails they brought were more than enough for me.

[emcemt]

ahhhhh music to my ears!!! One thing that is important to me on a cruise is the food. I am a foodie of sorts and actually agree with you on the claw meat!! Wont pass up the tails though. I also heard somewhere i think that they serve fois gras in one of the specialty resteraunts...know anyrthing about it?

[intrepid_guy]

[quote name='Jeconk']
I still think my point about the breakfast is being misunderstood. I am not upset about the fact that we didn't get the breakfast, the most upsetting thing is that NCL continues to print bold faced LIES in their brochures and on their website. This fact of continual lying doesn't upset the rest of you?[/QUOTE]

Jeconk -
Not to be flamatory... so please dont take it as such, but my question is this. How often should NCL print their brochures? Every time anything changes?? I think most of us would agree that it is not practical from a business standpoint. More often than not, the some of the itineraries are even incorrect because of ship changes/redeployments and what not since the brochure was printed. I could take it to an extreme and say that NCL was lying about the availability of the Norway last summer because it was in the brochure I had, or now maybe my brochure may say that the PO America is in Hawaii, and the Sky is in Alaska and we all know they are not. Far fetched, I know... but... To me, it sounds like NCL recently made the change with the breakfast (for example) since POA has just started cruising Hawaii, and your brochure was surely printed before that. I am not making an "excuse" per say but I think that it is a valid reason. And, I do not have a brochure in front of me, but I am sure that there must be a line or two of text that states that info is subject to change. If you want, perhaps you could approach NCL and let them know that you booked the hotel with the info in their brochure and you would like compensation for the breakfasts that werent available and that you ended up having to pay for. Maybe they will do something about it... that is hard to say though.

What are your thoughts?

~Intrepid :o

[intrepid_guy]

[quote name='shoreguy']
We get more complaints about Carnival than about all other crise lines combined.[/QUOTE]

Oh, no... now I am concerned. I need to jump over to the Carnival and see what is going on. Just yesterday I booked the Triumph since my brother and sister- in - laws are going, and we are going to surprise them on board by showing up. Otherwise, I am not (personally) sure I would have ever booked Carnival.

~Intrepid <-- Will it be a "Triumph"? :(

[gardencat]

patandcd

That makes pretty scary reading :eek: and not just about NCL!
Some of the complaints do sound minor but the one about the kid being mis- diagnosed with appendicitis sounded pretty serious to me.
(BTW that wasn't on NCL)

[Jeconk]

Intrepid: Valid question. Nothing inflamatory at all.

According to the desk clerk, the free breakfast has never been included in NCL's packages at the hotel. Therefore it was wrong from the begining. Add to that, that the same information about the breakfast being included is still on their website under pre/post hotel stays. Now this same information has been there since January. Don't you think they could at least have changed it there? From what I also understand, they have been using this hotel for well over a year for the Star and Wind pre/post stays, so it is not new just for the POA.

To answer your question, I believe NCL prints new brochures at least once per year and I think it might be twice. I agree with you that they don't have to re-print brochures everytime something changes. I do think, however, that NCL changed and re-printed their Hawaii brochure after the America went down.

The other point I like to bring up, and I would like your opinion of this, was the letter I received from NCL customer service two years ago about a similar lie. The letter stated: "not all of the information that we print in our brochures is accurate." This was by a customer service manager at NCL corporate.

[patandcd]

"We get more complaints about Carnival than about all other crise lines combined" by shoreguy...nope, quote did not work..had to copy and paste.


shoreguy....just who is we?...CC or someone you work for? Just curious...

Try this at the referenced website/ travel/ cruises / norwegina sea/ 4/19/04. Hardly four years ago on the Norway. I appreciate honest experiences, good and bad, and love to read gardencat's posts... she is always polite and easy to understand.

PS...I like yours too.

[Zeno]

gardencat: I assure you had NCL lied to me I would be upset with them. However they did not - so I have no reason to be upset. I understand why you are upset with them and I understand why Jeconk is.
Oh - if anyone needs a laugh checkout cruisemates - the attacks on POA and it's predecessor Sky have just reached absurd and unbelievable heights. Really - I can believe legitimate sounding complaints (long buffet lines, inaccurate brochures, waits to get into a dining room, poor head office service etc) but now the complaints over there have become absurd (the "rat" made me blow tea through my nose - particularly since it took the complainer 4 months to remember it ). One reason why I have had no critical comments to make about Jeconk's review of his POA experience was that everything he complained about sounded like a legitimate experience and I could understand his annoyance. I guess I am considered an NCL apologist but the truth is I am only one in the sense that my NCL experience on the Sky was a good one and occasionally I see some pretty silly complaints about NCL or some insulting observations about people who enjoyed their NCL experience - I will respond to either. BELIEVE ME - if I had a bad NCL experience you WOULD hear about it but probably (I hope) not ad nauseum.

[MSEm]

Remember the NCL has a MONOPOLY on the 'round the islands without a foreign port call. Thank your US congressmen (women) for letting NCL say, "If you want to take a cruise "round the Hawaiian Island, you have to book with us." If you do not like what NCL is doing, please let a short letter or fax to your US congressman (woman) and tell them that Monopolies are NOT GOOD for customers. Please ask your congressman to let other cruise lines set up the same deal that NCL has. I wonder what would happen if another cruise line could offer the same types of cruises?

[Windrunner I]

[quote name='MSEm']Remember the NCL has a MONOPOLY on the 'round the islands without a foreign port call. Thank your US congressmen (women) for letting NCL say, "If you want to take a cruise "round the Hawaiian Island, you have to book with us." If you do not like what NCL is doing, please let a short letter or fax to your US congressman (woman) and tell them that Monopolies are NOT GOOD for customers. Please ask your congressman to let other cruise lines set up the same deal that NCL has. I wonder what would happen if another cruise line could offer the same types of cruises?[/QUOTE]

As I understand it, unlike the late American Hawaii and US Lines, NCL does not have exclusive rights to the Hawaiian Islands and any other cruise line that is willing or capable to set up a US-flagged operation are welcome to do so. Hence, that's why NCL purchased the Independence and United States, to keep them out of the hands of any other cruise lines.

Criticize NCL and NCL America all you want, but no other cruise line has had the b@lls to take the risk NCL has in setting up and operating this venture which will generate HUGE revenues for the state of Hawaii and its residents, not to mention the number of jobs it is creating along the way.

I recently returned from the Pride's maiden Hawaiian voyage and while I avoided the buffet like the plague, I found the service in all other areas to be very friendly; if not terribly efficient and polished. Overall, it was a great cruise experience and in my opinion, NCL has a real winner on their hands.

NCL never has been and never will be a luxury cruise experience and I was amazed at the number of guests I encountered who has sailed Holland, Celebrity and other 'traditional' lines who did nothing but complain and grouse about "freestyle'. They obviously didn't dfo their homework.

For anyone set to sail on the Pride or anyone who is thinking of it, to you, I say "go" and enjoy yourself.

[cruisecrasy]

Anyone considered that the problem may well lie for NCL America with the 'unions' and if they could function with international crews (US citizens could apply to work too but wld have to accept the same conditions) most of the problems they are encountering wld vanish...This is protectionism pure & simple...Happy cruisin'!

[wifey1]

:confused: A group of 6 friends have booked the 9-3-2004 sailing on Pride of Aloha and we are now getting all confused with this "service fee" or "resort fee" whatever. Is that fee the tip we always provided at the end of the cruise or a fee in addition to the tips added to the bill? And also if the service is not so "up to snuff" can we NOT reduce the tips added? Can anyone give me some answers or must I call NCL and be greeted by some rude person that has no knowlegdge of these things. Thanks to anyone that can help me out.

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='cruisecrasy']Anyone considered that the problem may well lie for NCL America with the 'unions' and if they could function with international crews (US citizens could apply to work too but wld have to accept the same conditions) most of the problems they are encountering wld vanish...This is protectionism pure & simple...Happy cruisin'![/QUOTE]

I have considered this many times but am trying to keep my mouth shut for a change. LOL

NMNita

[COASTERBOB]

[quote name='wifey1']:confused: A group of 6 friends have booked the 9-3-2004 sailing on Pride of Aloha and we are now getting all confused with this "service fee" or "resort fee" whatever. Is that fee the tip we always provided at the end of the cruise or a fee in addition to the tips added to the bill? And also if the service is not so "up to snuff" can we NOT reduce the tips added? Can anyone give me some answers or must I call NCL and be greeted by some rude person that has no knowlegdge of these things. Thanks to anyone that can help me out.[/QUOTE]

Hello, do you mean 9/5 POA? If so be sure to go to the Roll Call thread and join the rest of us "9to5ers". The resort fee is mandatory, in lieu of tips. Of course, you can give additional for exceptional service. And welcome! Bob

POA 9/5/2004

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='emcemt']NMnita...I will be on the Dawn for Thanksgiving. I'm more concerned abiout the company I am dealing with rather than the spefic ship though. A poorly run company will eventually filter down to every ship. I have read some good reviews on the Dawn (as well as bad)....my concern is what if I have a problem? How will NCL handle it? Now dont get me wrong.....I'm defenitely not the type of person to seach out problems...I am the exact opposite, but when I do have a problem I like to know that I am dealing with a reputible company that is going to back up it's promises. I also like to know that if I do need to call customer service I will get accurate information...and someone that is willing to help. I speak of this from both what I have read on these boards and from personal experiences. A good friend of mine is having her wedding on the Dawn in Aug. She has had nothing but nightmares dealing with NCL. They promise you the world...then when the time comes the story always changes. She is getting married in approx 5 weeks and still isn't even sure if she is going to have a room with a sound system in it (mind you she was promised the chapel when she made the original deposit about 9 months ago).
I booked the Dawn for Thanksgiving despite some of my reservations regarding NCL. My familly was looking to go away and since we are all in the NY area it was a great choice for us....no flying around holiday time...great itinerary...good price....It just seemed like a logical choice. I just hope I dont regret it and become one of the negative posters you speak of. I am though going with the best of intentions and an open mind and looking foward more to that cruise than my honeymoon on RCCI in a few weeks.[/QUOTE]

Congratulations on getting married and your upcoming honeymoon. I do understand how you feel, believe me, but my point pretty much is customer service sucks period anymore. Of course I am generalizing. Some reps still give outstanding service and to them I say Thanks so much! Just read about the website where you can read the horror stories, it's important to realize and I hope most do that 95 plus % of all who cruise encounter no serious problems, have a wonderful time and can not wait to cruise again.
I really don't think you are looking for the worst, I think you have read so much about, mainly POA and some negatives about the CService that you are running scared. I would too. Like you, I have chosen the cruise for our friends and pray all goes well. I also beleive that if you do not have a good time and you do turn out to be a negative thorn in our backs (LOL) you will have reasons. You don't seem like the type looking to blast anything or anyone. Happy cruisin NMNita

[hdawson]

Wifey. According to NCL this is an added fee for the privilege of sailing on NCL. It is not tips in any respect. It is not negotialble. Cannot be removed or adjusted. I'm sure the staff would still expect to be tipped for excellent service.
BTW I understand that the service charge will go fleetwide by May 2005.

[Jeconk]

Wifey1: What exactly the service charge has been debated through these boards as does what it goes to pay for. All we know for sure is that it is not adjustable or removable.

Here is a fact: This is directly from the letter that was waiting for me in my cabin (and everyone else's) when we boarded in San Francisco for the 12 day repo: (I have typed it verbattum including punctuation mistakes)

"A service charge, akin to a fee found at shoreside hotels and resorts, of $10.00 per person per day will be added to your onboard account. For children ages 3-12 a $5.00 per person per day charge will be added to your onboard account; there is no charge for children under the age of 3. This is a fixed service charge and is not a gratuity and therefore is not adjustable. Of course if you have any concerns about the service you receive while on board your cruise then please bring them to the immediate attention of our reception desk staff on board so that we can address any isues in a timely manner before the cruise is over."

"Unlike most other ships in the cruise industry, there is no required or recommended tipping on Norweigan Cruise Line and NCL America ships. Our staff is paid salaries. They are encouraged in our S.T.Y.L.E. service program to 'go the extra mile' and so they are permitted to accept supplementary cash gratuties entirely at the discretion of our guests who wish to acknowledge particular staff members or exceptional service. Certain staff positions provide services on a discretionary basis to only some guests. We encourage those guests to acknowledge good service from these staff members with appropriate gratuities. Specifically: guests purchasing spa treatments will find a service charge of 15% added to their bill; bar tabs will have an open space for guests to add a gratuity they consider appropriate. (our recommendation is 15% of the tab); concierge and butler services are available to guests in suites and mini-suites and we recommend those guests consider offering a gratuity commensurate with services rendered."

Hope this helps.

[Jeconk]

Zeno: Could I tell you some ludicrous complaints that I heard while on board!! One lady threw a fit one morning late in the cruise in the Hukilau Cafe because the Cream of Wheat was on a different side of the buffet than it was on the day before!!! (It and the Oatmeal had switched places!) Duh, just walk around the buffet to the other side and get some!! The same thing happened to me, there was no strawberry jelly on my side of the buffet, but I simply took a little time and walked to the other buffet line and picked some up, no big deal!!

I tried to pick out stories in my reviews that showed the more serious problems with the ship that could be corrected. As I have said before, there is nothing NCL can do about the small cabins or the buffet line set-up, that is how the ship was built. But the things NCL can correct, like service problems, lying and confusion should be pointed out to them so that they can be corrected.

With that said, it sounds like they are making strides in the service area based on the comments that many of us have made. My number 1 suggestion was to extend the hours of the buffet and restaurants and from what I am reading, that is being done. (I was not alone in that suggestion, believe me!). Now if we could just get them to do something about their honesty and customer service!

[cruisecrasy]

Thought there was a 15% fee already added to bar service - what gives with a line on the bill for ??

[Copper_beeches]

Okay, I am most definitely a newbie... again... but here's what it sounds like to me.
I read the description carefully about this being a service charge, and how as they encourage excellent service, cruisers are free to tip "excellent" service at their sole discretion.

What this means to me is that the fee is a mute point. Forget that it even exists, just figure it into yout budget.

Consider that all employees are recieving a fair salary (hopefully this is the case)

Tip anyone who you FEEL has gone ABOVE and BEYOND, not just shown up or just done their job.

This has given tipping back meaning. I think most people feel obligated to tip, as they know it is part of the salary... I could be way off, but it sounds as though NCL is moving to a non-tip based salary (including a flat rate from the service cgarge to the salaries), and that instead of expecting tips, staff will be working for them... does this make sense?

I think this will eventually do the opposite of what the majority have posted... I think this will improve service not reduce it. Better paid people are going to be happier worker, more content in their jobs, and generally more pleasant. Knowing that there is the possibility of an additional tip, but not the expectation of one, will be even more motivation to an already happy worker

Of course, there is the major hurdle of accepting that you are going to have to pay the $70, and then tip on top of that to show extra appreciation if warranted... but, you will only tip people you feel go above and beyond so won't the extra service be worth it? Also, assuming the "service charge" is being filtered to the employees anyway, it gives some protection to those serving tip stiffers, also, does anyone know if "non-normally tipped" people are in the "service charge pool"? What about kitchen people, maybe this is protecting them too?

Maybe I'm naive, and I'm definitely new to cruising, but I think this also makes me objective...

la la la...

The ONLY question in my mind is... is there any way to confirm what is happening to the $$ from the service fee? Otherwise, I'm all for this.

Be gentle...